


And We'll Have Halloween on Christmas

by DaisukiRose



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Artist Gerard Way, Caretaker!Mikey, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mental Instability, Past Character Death, Schizophrenia, Situational Schizophrenia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-14 13:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9182869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisukiRose/pseuds/DaisukiRose
Summary: Gerard stood in the doorway of his apartment, staring across the hallway to where a short man in eyeliner, covered in tattoos and a sheepish grin, was standing. His youthful hazel eyes had a familiar impish twist to them, his jeans were gashed open at the knees and his hair had a semblance of once being clean, though it was now dirtied from hauling boxes into the apartment across from Gerard’s own. The Black Flag shirt he was wearing was obviously well-loved, with a hole starting to wear in the hem and part of the decal mysteriously gone. “Hi.” The person said, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Slight TW for mentioned character death, schizophrenia, and all the usual jazz. No self harm or anything graphic, but stay safe. <3

Gerard stood in the doorway of his apartment, staring across the hallway to where a short man in eyeliner, covered in tattoos and a sheepish grin, was standing. His youthful hazel eyes had a familiar impish twist to them, his jeans were gashed open at the knees and his hair had a semblance of once being clean, though it was now dirtied from hauling boxes into the apartment across from Gerard’s own. The Black Flag shirt he was wearing was obviously well-loved, with a hole starting to wear in the hem and part of the decal mysteriously gone. “Hi.” The person said, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uhm, I’m Frank? I just moved in across the hall, I thought I’d…”

“Frank.” Gerard breathed, the name almost reverent on his lips. “Frank Iero. Frank Anthony Iero.”

Frank looked taken aback, studying Gerard carefully. “Are you some sort of psychic or something? Because I’m pretty sure I didn’t tell you my whole name.”

“No.” Gerard had the idea that a laugh would have been suitable here, but he couldn’t force it past his lips. “I, uh… It’s me, it’s Gerard.”

Shock wasn’t a strong enough word to describe the look that flashed across Frank’s face. He physically took a step back, smile falling from his face as his mouth fell open, eyes flying over Gerard’s face as if to solidify that he was indeed standing there. “Gerard?” Frank asked quietly. “Like, my ex-boyfriend, Gerard?”

“We never actually broke up.” Gerard murmured, scuffing his toe on the door jam.

“Wow, you look good, man!” Frank said, smile returning to his face as he cut the tension with conversation. “What’s it been, like, twenty years?”

“Something like that.” Gerard said, reaching a hand up and fluffing his greasy black hair absentmindedly. “You moved back to Jersey.”

“California just didn’t stick.” A wry smile quirked his lips as he shuffled his feet. “You moved back, too.”

“New York just didn’t stick.” Gerard parroted, one lip lifting in a semblance of a smile. They were quiet for a moment, eyes flitting between the floor and the other person for a minute or so before Gerard cleared his throat. “Um, do you want to come in?” He asked, motioning to his apartment. “I have coffee.”

“Coffee sounds amazing.” Frank almost melted at the mention of coffee, eyes turning pleading. “Please? It’s not too much, is it?”

Gerard hummed in response, leaving the door open for Frank to follow him as he trailed into his kitchen, carefully navigating between boxes of sketches and paintings. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Frank took in his apartment, staring in wonder at all the art on the walls, looking questioningly at the fist-shaped holes in the plaster that had been sort-of covered. Gerard pulled down two mugs, both chipped at the edges but he refused to throw them away nonetheless. He poured coffee into the mugs before looking at Frank again. “How do you want it?” 

Frank looked up quickly from a painting poking out of a box. “Oh, um… Surprise me.” He said, easy smile crossing his lips. “Coffee is coffee is coffee.” Gerard made two identical coffees then, just enough sugar and a splash of cream, and slid one across the countertop to Frank. He watched as Frank took a sip and sighed as he tasted it, tension melting off of his face. They were quiet as they sipped their coffee before Frank spoke again. “So.” He said quietly. “How’ve you been?”

Gerard huffed. That was a ‘haven’t seen you in a month, what’s up?’ line. That wasn’t a ‘I ran across my boyfriend from high school who I never actually broke up with and am now in his kitchen drinking the best cup of coffee ever’ line, and they both knew it. “I’ve been okay.” Gerard crafted his words slowly, staring into coffee the colour of Frank’s eyes in the sunlight. “My mom died right after you moved.”

“I heard.” Frank was quiet.

“You heard and you didn’t think to call?” Gerard looked up, emotion written over his face before he cleared his throat. “Sorry, I’m sorry. I just… I haven’t gotten over it, I guess.”

_I haven’t gotten over you._ It hung unsaid in the air between them, but it didn’t need to be said. Frank stared down into his coffee for a moment, hair in his eyes before he looked back up. “I should have told you.”

“People do usually tell their boyfriends when they’re going to move across the country, yeah.” Gerard said. “People do usually say something before their boyfriend goes to their house and finds out they’re not there and don’t live there anymore. I spent two years looking for you, Frank.”

Frank grimaced. “I’m sorry.” 

“I hope so.” Gerard sipped his coffee quietly.

“You know, when I realized it was you, I was halfway expecting a hug before you yelled at me.” Frank joked, and Gerard huffed a quiet laugh. “I know you’re mad, but it’s been twenty years, can we just try and start out on a good note?”

“I’m not mad.” Gerard told him. “I was mad, I was mad at you for a long time but somewhere along the way I stopped being mad and ended up just being.”

Frank nodded easily, running his hand through his long black hair. “I get that.” He hummed. “Overdramatic as usual, but I get it.”

Gerard rolled his eyes, burying a sarcastic remark in a sip of his coffee. “So, why are you back now?” 

Frank stretched his arms over his head. “Oh, I don’t know. I just felt like I had to come back. I missed it, y’know? It sounds dumb, but I missed New Jersey.”

“I’d miss it if I moved to California, too.” Gerard pointed out, not so subtly jabbing at Frank’s sudden move. “That’s a long way away.”

“Yeah.” Frank hummed. “Yeah, it was.”

“Gerard?” A voice called as someone walked around the corner. _Mikey,_ Gerard realized, and smiled. 

“Mikey, look, Frank came back!” Gerard grinned, motioning to the punk in the chair across from him.

“That’s nice,” Mikey sighed, running a hand through his hair as he watched his brother carry on happily, alone in the room save for two mugs of coffee. 

“Frank, you remember Mikey, right?” Gerard asked, looking at a man who wasn’t even there, smiling and laughing at something he’d imagined he’d said. “Yeah, I remember when he did that, he was a little dork.”

“Gerard,” Mikey stopped himself before he said anything he’d regret, looking between his brother and the hole in the plaster in the shape of a fist, at about head height. “Gerard, it’s late, Frank probably wants to go home. You should say goodbye.”

“Okay, yeah, it’s late.” Gerard nodded, looking back at Frank. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Mikey watched with hurt in his eyes as his brother wrapped his arms around a man who wasn’t there, a man who would never be there, and say his goodbyes. He watched as his brother walked nobody to the door, waved to nobody as he crossed into an apartment that didn’t exist, and then shut the door and sit back down with his coffee. Mikey walked back towards his half of the apartment, going into his bedroom and pulling out a newspaper clipping.

_Frank Anthony Thomas Iero, 16, is one of three lives claimed by the tragic fire that broke out in the Belleville Estates apartment buildings on December 25, 1997. Lead guitarist and singer for a band called Pencey Prep, the high school Junior is survived by his mother, Linda Iero, 37; as well as his boyfriend, Gerard Way, 20. His father, Frank Anthony Iero, and grandfather, Frank Iero, also perished in the fire. Memorial services will be announced, and are being handled by Monroeville Crematorium and Morgue._


End file.
